Law enforcement officers, local leaders, families, and community members gathered Thursday evening at Police Memorial Park in Hopkinsville to honor the lives and sacrifices of officers who died in the line of duty during the city’s annual Police Memorial Ceremony.
The ceremony, held during National Police Week and ahead of Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15, brought together representatives from the Hopkinsville Police Department, Christian County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Campbell Police Department, Kentucky State Police, and other agencies to remember officers whose names are etched into the history of Hopkinsville and Christian County law enforcement.
Hosted by Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 12, the ceremony served both as a memorial for fallen officers and a tribute to those continuing to serve in law enforcement.
FOP Lodge 12 President Michael Velez thanked attendees for supporting law enforcement families and honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“We gather not only as a community but as a family, bound together by service, sacrifice, and unbreakable sense of duty,” Velez said. “Here in Hopkinsville we are more than just a city. We are neighbors, we are friends, and we are a community that looks out for one another.”
Velez shared that the officers remembered during the ceremony were more than public servants.
He described policing as “not just a profession” but “a calling” requiring courage, compassion, and sacrifice, adding that the loss of fellow officers is felt personally throughout the law enforcement community.
“When one of us falls, we all feel that loss, deeply and personally,” Velez said.
He also addressed families of fallen officers directly, assuring them they remain part of the law enforcement family.
“You are not alone,” he said. “You are and will always be part of the FOP family.”
Hopkinsville Police Chief Jason Newby expressed the emotional weight National Police Week carries for officers and families who have experienced loss firsthand.
“For some people, Police Memorial Week is a time to recognize law enforcement officers and thank them for their service,” Newby said. “For others like myself and many of you here, this week is much more.”
Newby shared that throughout his career he has attended funerals for numerous law enforcement officers across Kentucky, including fellow Kentucky State Troopers, sheriff’s deputies, and city officers.
Newby said officers understand the risks associated with the profession each time they leave home to serve.
“We know when we leave our homes every day, losing our life is a possibility, but we choose to go anyway,” he said.
Fort Campbell Police Chief Richard Vater told attendees the ceremony represented a solemn opportunity to recognize officers who “gave their lives to protect everyone else.”
“To serve and protect is more than a slogan, it’s a sacred oath that we have all taken,” Vater said.
Vater said officers should be remembered not only for their badges, but for their character and service.
“We remember them not just for the badges they wore, but for the lives they lived and their professional display of personal courage and remarkable selfless service,” he said.
Christian County Sheriff Tyler DeArmond delivered the keynote address, focusing heavily on the lasting impact line-of-duty deaths have on families and fellow officers long after memorial ceremonies conclude.
“Officer Memorial Week may sound like a complete tribute in itself, but for those who live with its meaning, it only begins to tell the story,” DeArmond said.
He said remembrance does not disappear once Police Week ends.
DeArmond referenced attending the gravesite of a fallen officer just two months earlier, saying the passage of time does not erase grief.
“Eight years have passed, but the weight has not lessened,” he said. “Time has moved forward, but grief does not follow a schedule.”
He also reminded attendees that fallen officers were more than uniforms and badges.
“They were parents, they were sons, daughters, spouses, and friends,” DeArmond said. “They laughed, they dreamed, they planned for the future, a future that was cut short.”
Christian County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam and Hopkinsville Mayor James R. Knight Jr. jointly presented a proclamation officially recognizing May 10-16 as National Police Week in Hopkinsville and Christian County and declaring May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day.
Gilliam told attendees he was humbled by the community’s continued support for the annual ceremony.
“These men that are on this wall behind us made a choice to be sworn and made a choice to provide peace to our communities,” Gilliam said.
Knight reflected personally on the memorial wall, noting one of his friends, Officer Philip Meacham, is among those honored there.
“May we never forget any of the men, women that have laid their lives down for us,” Knight said.
During the ceremony, organizers conducted the traditional roll call of fallen officers, reading the names of the 10 officers who died in the line of duty while serving Hopkinsville, Christian County, Kentucky, and Fort Campbell.
Those honored included:
- Officer R.H. West, Hopkinsville Police Department — Sept. 6, 1883
- Officer Henry Lane, Hopkinsville Police Department — March 13, 1897
- Officer Charles Hord, Hopkinsville Police Department — Dec. 12, 1907
- Deputy Wallace Meyers, Christian County Sheriff’s Department — June 7, 1932
- Officer Owen Flack, Hopkinsville Police Department — June 17, 1951
- Officer Amos Faulkner, Hopkinsville Police Department — July 20, 1971
- Trooper Joseph Ward, Kentucky State Police — April 23, 1973
- Officer Bob Banker, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife — March 19, 1987
- Specialist James Sakofsky, Fort Campbell Military Police — June 1, 2001
- Officer Philip Meacham, Hopkinsville Police Department — March 29, 2018
The ceremony concluded with a final call for continued remembrance and support for law enforcement families.
“Let this not be the only time you think of them,” DeArmond said. “Do not allow their memory to fade at the end of this week. Carry it with you into your daily lives.”
